Keep Your Receipt

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Romans 4:25

There are certain retail stores, like some warehouse clubs, where after you’ve done your shopping you go to the checkout, they give you a receipt, but you’ve got to remember to keep that receipt out because before they let you out of the door out of the club somebody will take that receipt, they’ll examine it and they check that the number of items in your cart is the same as the number of items on the receipt just to show that you’ve paid for it, that you’re not trying to steal anything.

It’s also handy to hold on to that receipt in case you need to return anything to the store. The receipt is proof that you’ve paid for that item in full.

You and I have accumulated an enormous debt before God. That debt is caused by the guilt of all of our sins and there’s nothing that you and I can do to repay that debt with our good works or any of our sacrifices. But one of the reasons why we rejoice at Easter is because the resurrection proves that God the Father was satisfied with the payment that Jesus made on Good Friday. Romans chapter 4 says

He was handed over to death because of our trespasses and was raised to life because of our justification. (Romans 4:25)

On Good Friday, when Jesus shed his blood on the cross, that wasn’t just the blood of a man, rather it was the blood of the of the God Man. It was the most unique blood in all of the universe. That divine blood had infinite redemptive value and it was able to pay for all sins of all time.

Even those sins that you have in your past which you are so ashamed of and you might think to yourself “How could God ever forgive me for that?” Well even those sins have been paid for and you can know for certain because of the resurrection. He [God] raised Jesus up because you have been justified even that sin is paid for in full by Christ. You have a receipt. You can go forward in confidence. Amen.